Houston Has a Chance to End the Longest Winning Streak in the Nation

Last Saturday, the No. 2 BYU Cougars upset the then No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to end the longest active winning streak in the FBS.

That streak now belongs to the No. 10 Utah Utes. The No. 14 Houston Cougars can end it on Saturday.

Utah Comes Into This Game Hot

The Utes' last loss was last season, when they fell to BYU 24-21. Since then, the Utes have done nothing but impress.

They blew out the Colorado Buffaloes the following week, 53-7, and earned some impressive wins before ultimately missing the College Football Playoff. The Utes ended the 2025 season with a win over a depleted Nebraska Cornhuskers team, 44-22, to finish 11-2.

Utah lost its long-time head coach, Kyle Whittingham, to the Michigan Wolverines, along with some talent. However, the Utes have remained elite anyway (funnily enough, Michigan hasn't). Utah earned an easy 66-14 win in Week 1 over the Idaho Vandals, then defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks at home 43-10 to show their ceiling as a team.

Utah QB Devon Dampier celebrates a touchdown against Arkansas. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since a 33-0 win over the Utah State Aggies, Utah hasn't been as dominant, most recently barely surviving a 27-24 win over a bad Colorado team. The Utes still got important wins against the Iowa State Cyclones (31-17) and Kansas Jayhawks (41-24), but Utah looks much more beatable than it did before conference play began.

A win is a win, and Colorado could've been a trap game for Utah. So the Utes are still hot and in the Top 10. Plus, this team knows this game could be its chance to "prove it" to the nation that Utah is elite.

In other words, the Utes and Morgan Scalley are looking to do more than win a minor bowl game against a depleted opponent. Scalley is now 7-0 as Utah's head coach and knows the importance of this Saturday's matchup against Houston.

This Is the Biggest Game So Far for Both Teams This Season

The Utes have had some big games in 2026, especially against an SEC opponent in Arkansas and some other talented teams. But as ESPN's College GameDay visit to Salt Lake this week shows, this game is the biggest they've played yet.

Houston, meanwhile, has played two ranked teams. The Cougars visited the No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders in Week 3 and fell 28-26. The Cougars also hosted the No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys last week and won 35-32.

Both games were important, but this one stands out as the biggest so far. If the Cougars can beat the Utes on the road, potentially the toughest environment in the conference, they'll have a strong chance to win their final four games of the season.

Houston QB Conner Weigman passes a ball against Oklahoma State. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That would give Houston a chance to compete for the Big 12 title and a strong shot at the College Football Playoff. Houston has already proven it can beat elite teams, but can it do it twice in a row to set itself up for a big run in 2026?

That remains to be seen, but we'll answer that question on Saturday. At the very least, Utah has strung together 12 straight wins. It would be nice to see Houston end that impressive win streak.

Such an achievement may not sound like much, but it shows how far the Cougars have come under Willie Fritz. A few years ago, it would've been hard to imagine Houston, as a Top 15 team, having the opportunity to end the longest active winning streak in college football.

This Houston team is something special.

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